GB1316146A - Trucks movable along a guide slot - Google Patents

Abstract

1316146 Tow trucks; bumpers S I HANDLING SYSTEMS Inc 28 April 1970 [28 April 1969] 20431/70 Headings B7J and B7L A truck 10 has a downwardly depending tow pin 42, for engagement in a guide slot in a reference surface 72, and a front bumper 26 mounted on an axis or axes for pivotal and/or rotational movement, the bumper acting, upon and only upon engagement with a surface which acts below said axis or axes, to move the tow-pin to an inoperative position in which it is disengaged from drive means in the guide slot. The bumper 26 is cylindrical, rotatably mounted on a rod 28 and connected via brackets 30, (32), and an upright link 34 to the tow pin 34. The bumper 26 is also connected by a bell crank 36, cable 50 and latch 52 to a rear bumper 60, rotatable about a pin 62. The rear bumper is biased to a vertical position by a spring 70, Fig. 4, and is prevented from rotating in a clockwise direction by the engagement of a latch member 68, provided on bumper 60, with a blocking surface 58 on latch 52. When the tow truck 10 is part of a conveyor system its front bumper 26 contacts the vertically disposed rear bumper of a truck in front 90 and pushes it. If however, the blocking surface 58 for the rear bumper has been removed, contact of the front bumper 26 with the rear bumper will cause the latter to rotate about pin 62, the bumper 26 will ride up onto the rear bumper and rotate about rod 28, as shown on the right hand side of Fig. 3. This movement of the bumper 26 raises the tow pin disconnecting it from the drive means and also removes the blocking surface 58 of the rear bumper 60, resulting in the following truck 80 also accumulating.